


A Fight

by thealpacalypse



Series: George Squared Sleepover Fluff [5]
Category: Call Me Katie (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon Disabled Character, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Pre-Slash, Rollercoaster of Emotions, angry google searching, bad sexuality puns, door slamming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 13:25:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6612313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thealpacalypse/pseuds/thealpacalypse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Surprise, Katie and Peter aren't the only ones who can fight around here! But at least when Bates and Gleeson do it, it also involves some cuddling, a sleepover and really bad sexuality puns. You're welcome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Fight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [timetobegin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/timetobegin/gifts).



> You people have no idea how emotional I am right now. I started working on this fic about 9 months ago, and my life was completely different back then. Now, 8 drafts later, I have finally finished it. One thing that hasn't changed after all this time is my love for these two fictional nerds and their story. It has given me so much and I'm so grateful.
> 
> I'm also incredibly grateful to have [the mindblowingly wonderful Jenna](http://ofcourseitsinsidemyhead.tumblr.com/) as my beta and friend. She is the actual Bates to my Gleeson and without her constantly kicking my butt and boosting my ego, I would never have finished this.
> 
> (me @ self: get your feels together, gee, you're embarrassing yourself.)
> 
> Okay anyway, thanks to everyone who is still reading this, you people are rad! I can't wait for Nothing Like The Sun so I can write more fanfic that will take me ages to finish, yay! I'll shut up now. Have fun reading.
> 
> (maybe grab a pillow or the closest cat to protect you from feels.)

When Bates collapses onto his bed next to Gleeson at half past one, he vaguely remembers that promising, excited feeling he had at the beginning of this evening – romantic candle lit atmosphere, just him and Gleeson having a fancy dinner together...

 

It has been killed dead by Katie and Peter and their drama.

 

He’s just tired now, so friggin’ tired, and he feels a headache coming on, so he just rests his head on Gleeson’s shoulder. Gleeson, who gave up half an hour ago, leans against the wall half asleep, wrapped in Bates’s blanket and not even protesting when Bates snuggles close and practically puts half of his body weight against Gleeson’s side. And yes, Bates does that because he’s tired and Gleeson is a comfortable pillow, but he also does it for other reasons, and the fact that Gleeson doesn’t protest or move… it makes Bates fuzzy and warm inside.

 

But then again, maybe Gleeson is just too tired and Bates shouldn’t read too much into it. Reading too much into things has always been his downfall. Better not to think about it now, when his brain won’t be able to come up with anything useful.

 

“Why do our friends have to be such a mess?” Bates sighs instead. Gleeson’s reply consists of a few muffled noises, but those sum up the situation perfectly somehow.

 

Katie and Peter have taken their civil war to a whole new level, and Bates can’t deal with it anymore. Tonight he has been yelled at by Peter in person, by Katie on the phone (twice, because she hung up and then remembered that she wasn’t done yelling about how much she hates Peter without giving any details or reasons why), and while Luke didn’t yell at him, he awkwardly stammered and danced around the issue.

 

Bates has no idea what’s going on, only that it’s _bad_.

 

He thinks maybe he should be angry at Katie and Peter for ruining his perfect dinner date with Gleeson, but then again, can a date really be ruined if the other person avoids and downplays everything that makes it a date? And why, Bates wonders, does he always come back to that? Back to asking himself what’s going on between Gleeson and him, when actually he should focus on trying to sort out the problems of his friends who are too stubborn to do it themselves. But he’s too tired for that now, and too tired to be angry.

 

He sighs again, shifts down and makes himself more comfortable on Gleeson’s shoulder. Maybe he shouldn’t do this. Gleeson didn’t want the candles, didn’t want to call the fake date a double date, Gleeson managed to elude every single attempt of romance from Bates’s side – so Bates shouldn’t just assume that Gleeson is okay with cuddling. But then Gleeson moves sleepily, and instead of pulling away he snuggles closer, their foreheads resting against each other. That’s when Bates decides to ignore all his doubts, because _their foreheads are touching_ and right now he needs to have OTP feels about his best friend and himself.

 

This is wonderful. This is amazing. In fact, Bates decides, he never wants to be anywhere else in the world ever again. He can’t stop the happy little sigh that escapes his lips, and rather accidentally he nuzzles Gleeson’s chin.

 

But that’s when Gleeson suddenly comes back to life again. He moves away, opens his eyes, instantly avoiding to meet Bates’s, and mumbles, “Uhh, thanks for dinner man, but I should really go home.”

 

He wriggles out of the position and Bates groans in protest, because suddenly he has to carry the weight of his head all by himself. Not cool. But then again, maybe it’s Bates’s fault for going too far, getting too close. Probably. Somehow Bates gets the energy to sit upright, and by that time Gleeson is already sitting on the edge of the bed, about to get up.

 

“Home?” Bates stares at the back of Gleeson’s head and tries not to sound too disappointed. “Come on, stay here. Please? Besides, you don’t really wanna go home to another pair of fighting idiots after all this, do you?”

 

Gleeson hesitates. He hesitates for so long that Bates begins to wish that the whole cuddling thing never happened. And then even longer, which makes Bates wish the cuddling had never stopped, because then he would never have had to deal with the consequences.

 

Finally, Gleeson sighs, “Okay, you’re right.” But he still doesn’t look at Bates.

 

Bates decides to take it as a success. A sleepover, just like the good old days. This might be just what they need now. Just for tonight, they could be nine again – no drama, no misunderstandings, no confusing mess of feelings between them.  It’s a comforting thought.

 

He pulls his blanket over him and sinks into the pillows. His plan is to fall asleep just like that, fully clothed, lights on, and Gleeson somewhere beside him, because everything else is just too complicated and Bates can’t be bothered. Gleeson has other plans though.

 

“Can you at least give me a hand with the guest mattress then? And lend me a shirt?” Gleeson asks, nudging Bates.

 

Bates groans in protest and doesn’t even open his eyes again. Sleeping just seems so much more important right now. “Can’t you just sleep here?” he tries. He probably shouldn’t have said that – because what if Gleeson thinks that Bates has ulterior motives? – but he’s too tired to care.

 

Gleeson laughs sharply. “In your bed?” he asks, too loud and high-pitched for Bates’s taste, “Forget it. It’s way too tiny.”

 

And with that Gleeson gets up and begins to drag out the guest mattress from underneath Bates’s bed. Bates exhales with a pathetic “Meeeehhh”, but then opens his eyes and sits up. Let it never be said that George Bates is a lousy friend.

 

***

 

They change into pyjamas and even brush their teeth, and when they’re both lying in their separate beds in the darkness twenty minutes later, Bates is uncomfortably awake again. Gleeson seems just as restless, tossing and turning on the guest mattress.

 

Bates tries to think of something to say and honestly, what the hell. They always have something to say to each other. But Bates’s brain remains empty, and it’s Gleeson who eventually breaks the silence.

 

“Can I ask you something?” he asks.

 

Bates cringes and tries to ignore the way his pulse starts to race. Really, this question should be made illegal.

 

“Umm. Okay.” Bates presses his lips together. He has no idea what to expect.

 

Gleeson is cautious, unsure. When Bates turns his head, he can see that Gleeson is staring at the ceiling in the darkness, pointedly avoiding Bates’s gaze. It’s not at all reassuring. Finally, Gleeson speaks again, choosing his words carefully. “Why do you always change the topic when we talk about your orientation?”

 

He should have expected this. Gleeson has been pushing him about this ever since Bates came out, and Bates has avoided it like the plague because he _knows_ it will end in a fight. But now there’s no way to hide and Gleeson must know that, and it makes Bates furious.

 

“I _told_ you I don’t want to talk about it!” Bates snaps, and yes, it’s an overreaction, but he’s tired and he’s so not ready to have this fight with Gleeson now, not after all this shit today. “Don’t you think there are more urgent issues going on at the moment?” He needs a break, seriously.

 

But Gleeson keeps on pushing. “If you’re talking about Katie and Peter, they’ll still hate each other tomorrow, nothing we can do about it now. B, I’m just trying to understand.” His voice sounds almost pleading, and somehow that makes Bates even more annoyed.

 

Doesn’t Gleeson see that Bates is avoiding this for the sake of their friendship? They both know that their opinions are just too different on this. Why does Gleeson pressure Bates into an answer now? Why can’t he just let go so that they both can get their well-deserved rest?

 

“And I’ll still be not straight tomorrow, so can you just let it go, _please_? I wanna sleep.” He won’t be able to sleep now anyway, but he really doesn’t want to have this stupid conversation.

 

Gleeson looks hurt, and really, what’s that all about? He’s the one asking invasive questions and not accepting no for an answer. This is some kind of major bullshit. Bates turns his back towards Gleeson and hopes that’s the end of it. He doesn’t like the thought of going to sleep halfway into a fight, but it’s too late and he doesn’t have a filter anymore, nor the energy to end this any other way.

 

“But…” Gleeson starts quietly and it makes Bates cringe, because of course Gleeson won’t let go. “I just don’t get it. Are you… ashamed? Because you know, there’s no reason to be.”

 

“Oh really,” Bates snorts, his voice way angrier than he expected it to be, but he can’t stop himself from adding, “easy for you to say.”

 

And he would take it back, the harsh tone at least, if Gleeson’s voice didn’t sound so much like a challenge when he throws back, “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

 

Bates sits up abruptly. “It means,” he snarls, “that it’s great for you that you figured yourself out years ago, and that you didn’t grow up with a parent that constantly forced homophobic shit down your throat, but not all of us can be so lucky, okay?!”

 

“That’s not fair!” Gleeson shouts back. Yes, shouts. Gleeson has never shouted at him before.

 

“You know what’s not fair?” Bates growls, glaring at his own fists. “Being told so often what’s right and what’s wrong that you don’t even recognize your own feelings for what they are anymore! Thinking you can’t be in love with your – with a guy because you’re straight, right? At least that’s what you have to be if you don’t want your own mum to hate you! To be forced for _years_ to live in a box that doesn’t fit, and then, when you’re finally able to accept yourself, your best friend tries to force you into another one. That’s not fucking fair!”

 

Bates is shaking now, almost panting.

 

Gleeson tries a soft “Bates!” but Bates can’t deal with his kindness right now.

 

“Don’t,” he presses out through gritted teeth. “What’s it to you anyway, if I’m bi or demi or pan or whatever?”

 

Now Gleeson stays silent, and after a few seconds Bates decides that’s enough of an answer for him. Bates presses his lips together and then spits out, “I just need to not talk to you right now.”

 

And with that he gets up and walks out, without even looking at Gleeson. The door slams shut behind him.

 

***

Once Bates is out of his room though, he doesn’t really know what to do with himself. No one is at home, so it wouldn’t really matter if he turned on the TV or some music, but he’s not in the mood. The longer he paces around between the lounge and the kitchen, the more miserable he feels for everything he has said, and mostly for the way he said it. He and Gleeson have never fought like this before.

 

If only Gleeson weren’t so obsessed with that fucking labels thing! Bates grabs the laptop that lies on the couch and yanks it open, then he opens a browser and punches in “I don’t want your fucking labels.”

 

The results don’t have anything to do with his problem, so after a while of angrily scrolling up and down he forces himself to breathe and think. The next search gets him closer to his aim, but it’s still frustrating. He tries “other options besides labels for sexuality”, which mostly gets him results for a billion different labels he’s never heard of before, so that’s exactly the opposite of what he wants. He also tries “how to determine your sexuality without labels” and “how to describe sexuality without labels” and a bunch of similar things.

 

He can’t remember how he ends up with the Kinsey Scale Test, but he’s deeply immersed in it when a noise at the other end of the room startles him. He looks up to see Gleeson standing there in the doorframe, fully dressed and looking lost and sad, biting his lip and fiddling with the strings of his hoodie. It breaks Bates’s heart to see him like this.

 

“Well, I’m… I’m leaving,” Gleeson mumbles. Bates is forcibly reminded of how cheerful and happy Gleeson had looked earlier this evening. It stings. Sure, Katie and Peter were a big reason for that change, but… Bates hates to think that it might be his fault as well.

 

The thought petrifies him so much that he can’t even think of anything to say.

 

With every passing second, the corners of Gleeson’s mouth drop further – it would look comical if it wasn’t all so damn depressing. The silence stretches. Bates opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.

 

Gleeson looks like he got his answer anyhow, nods slowly and then turns towards the door.

 

“Wait!” Bates finally shouts and jumps up, doesn’t even care that the laptop almost falls to the floor. With a few steps he’s between Gleeson and the door, making himself a barrier until he trusts his words enough to keep Gleeson from going.

 

There’s a long moment of silence, filled mostly with Bates’s nervous, shaky breathing and the sound of Gleeson rubbing his hands against his jeans.

 

Eventually, the urge to talk gets too big, and Bates decides, _ready or not, fuck it._

“Listen,” he says. “I’m so sorry. I’m a complete dickhead, and I never should have exploded at you. I know you’re just trying to help, and I honestly have no excuse, but please. Don’t go.”

 

Gleeson barely manages to look at Bates. “But you were right,” he admits quietly. “I didn’t think. I shouldn’t have pushed you. I’m sorry.”

 

“That’s still no excuse for me to be so mean to you. You never deserve that. Sorry.”

 

“No, _I’m_ sorry! I shouldn’t have –“ Gleeson begins again, but Bates interrupts him with sudden laughter. It’s still a nervous, jittery laugh, but when he listens to both of them trying to take the blame, all of this seems ridiculous.

 

After a moment, Gleeson joins in and they both laugh together, even though they’re probably both not sure why. Just then, Bates thinks that now things can go back to normal again, but then –

 

Gleeson hugs him. Out of the blue, he drops his bag and flings his arms around Bates, and Bates instinctively mirrors Gleeson and wraps his arms around Gleeson’s chest. And this is not how they hug each other usually. This is… intimate. Their chests are pressed together, Gleeson leans down so he can rest his face against Bates’s neck, and Bates can feel him breathing there, warm, steady puffs against his skin. It gives him goose bumps.

 

Why Bates ever wanted to be angry at Gleeson, he can’t even remember anymore. This needs to be fixed, right now. The reason why they never fight is because they can’t stay mad at each other for long anyway.

 

“Sorry,” he mumbles again, not ready to let go of Gleeson just yet. “Have I mentioned that I’m a jerk? Please say you forgive me?  Because I think I found the solution to our problem, and I need to tell you.”

 

Gleeson laughs shakily. It tickles against Bates’s neck, and Bates has to try hard not to shudder. “Of course I’ll _forgive_ you,” Gleeson says, and then adds, in the fondest way possible, “Weirdo. Now tell me about your solution.”

 

Bates knows they really should let go now, and Bates should show Gleeson that online test he found, and then they should go to bed because there are even more messes to fix tomorrow – but he can’t.

 

He feels Gleeson pulling away, but he won’t let him, not yet. “Yeah, wait a minute. First I need to prove to you that I’m not a complete asshole.”

 

Gleeson giggles. “By crushing my whole ribcage?” he asks and Bates nods.

 

“Exactly.”

 

It’s good that the situation seems funny now, and no longer as intense as before, because Bates can feel Gleeson relax again and this hug is so worth it. “Also,” Bates adds, “did you really think I wanted you to go home at three in the morning? You’re nuts.”

 

“Well,” Gleeson says, “you said you didn’t want to talk to me, so I thought…”

 

Bates feels guilty all over again. There’s nothing really he can reply to that.

 

“Okay, I got your point now,” Gleeson eventually says and wriggles out of the hug. His cheeks are flushed and he looks a bit sheepish, and Bates has to look somewhere else to be able to cope with that. His hands feel suddenly useless and empty. He scratches the back of his neck.

 

“So… will you now tell me the answer to life, the universe and everything?” Gleeson asks and bites his lips in a nervous grin.

 

That gives Bates time to compose himself again. He clears his throat, then points to the laptop. “I found this online test that ranks your sexuality in numbers between zero and six. You know,” and he takes a deep breath, because now he has to explain the real reason why he dislikes labels, “I have nothing against those, uh, new words. But there are so many of them and I’m just not sure enough yet about… all this, and about myself, to choose one. Let alone explain it to other people. That’s just a scary thought. But I know numbers and how they work, and they’re easy to explain, even to people who have no idea about sexualities, so…”

 

Bates can feel Gleeson’s eyes on him while he tries to explain, but Bates can’t look back. Somehow Bates hopes that Gleeson doesn’t want to talk about this confession in detail now, because while saying this wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be, he’s not ready to discuss it.

 

Gleeson, wonderful as he is, seems to get it. He doesn’t ask about it or pity him or anything like that. Instead he walks over to the couch and takes the laptop. “The Kinsey Scale?” he asks.

 

Bates nods. “Do you know it?”

 

Gleeson’s eyes scan the laptop screen while he replies, “I’ve heard of it before, but I never took the test.”

 

“Then it’s about time!” Bates grins. “Wait, I’ll make some hot chocolate, and then we can check it out together!”

 

***

 

Bates ends up being a two, while Gleeson scores a six. “Does that mean I’m ‘almost too gay to function’?” Gleeson grins. Bates grins back.

 

“It’s not completely accurate though,” Bates decides eventually. “You know, with all these questions just being about sex. Doesn’t really take the romance part of it into account, I guess? Or, you know, nonbinary people, and that whole demisexual thing.”

 

A grin spreads over Gleeson’s face. “Ooooh, queer lingo out of your mouth!” He wipes away an imaginary tear and pats Bates’s shoulder. “I’m so proud.”

 

Bates rolls his eyes. “Yeah yeah, alright.” Then, after considering for a moment if he really wants to grant Gleeson that kind of victory, he quietly adds, “You know, I looked into that whole demiromantic/demisexual thing, and it makes a lot of sense to me. That I have to be really close to a person before I can feel this way about them…” Of course right in this moment he notices how close together Gleeson and him sit on the couch, both staring at the screensaver bubbles on the laptop.

 

For a moment Bates fears that Gleeson might be smug about Bates giving in and considering a label, but of course not, this is Gleeson after all, and his face is earnest and sincerely interested. “That’s good, right?” he asks, and Bates nods. “You know, labels are supposed to be a good thing. They’re there so people realize they’re not alone and that there are others who share that experience. And it’s not a contract or anything, you can change it as often as you want, and get rid of labels that don’t feel right anymore.”

 

Bates has never considered it this way. He remembers how relieved he felt when he read about demiromanticism though – how good it was to realize that there was a name for it. “I guess…” Bates said thoughtfully.

 

“And also, labels like pan or bi can’t dictate how much attraction you feel towards which gender – it’s a huge spectrum and only you get to decide which works best.” Gleeson watches Bates’s reaction tentatively. Whatever he sees in Bates’s face seems to relax him, because he begins to smile, and finally adds, “You know, I always thought that pansexual is a pretty useful label, because no matter who you fall for, ‘pan’ covers it. It’s kind of convenient, isn’t it? Not to say that you have to use it or anything, but…”

 

Bates tries to really give it a thought. “I’ll consider it,” he finally says and really means it.

 

Suddenly, Gleeson begins to grin. “Plus, you’d get the best puns out of the whole LGBTQIA+ spectrum!”

 

“Ooooh, you know how to spark my interest!” Bates grins back. “Tell me more.”

 

“Well, being pan obviously makes you pan-tastic,” Gleeson smirks. Then he grabs the laptop from Bates’s lap and googles “pansexual puns”.

 

“Of course pansexuals all master the fine art of making pancakes.” He reads and giggles.

 

Naturally, Bates doesn’t need help from the internet – he was born to pun. “No wonder I was always so great on the panpipes,” he winks.

 

They both go “EEEEEYYYYYY!” and high five.

 

In this moment Bates decides that maybe labels aren’t as bad as he thought they were.

 

***

 

They finally go to bed at half past five. Bates is really glad that they can sleep in, because otherwise he wouldn’t feel as awesome as he feels right now.

 

“So, to conclude,” he announces to Gleeson when they both lie in the darkness again, this time a lot less tense than before, “I welcome all puns about me being a demigod and or a panda, but until I’m completely sure I’d rather actually identify as a two on the Kinsey scale. Besides, I don’t want to get too  _bi_ ased just yet, I heard there are some other labels out there that are pretty _ace_.”

 

Gleeson giggles and nods. “Fair enough.” He yawns, stretches and makes himself more comfortable on the mattress. “Tell me once you’re completely sure, yeah? Because I saw that really awesome shirt once that said ‘I’m punsexual’ on it and I really wanted to buy it for you.”

 

Bates snorts. “You’re unbelievable.”

 

“I know,” Gleeson agrees and yawns again. “Can we sleep now? I definitely need my strength for talking to Katie and Peter again later.”

 

Bates himself feels suddenly very tired, and yes, Gleeson is absolutely right, they really need to catch some sleep if they want to be useful at all tomorrow. “You continue to be the best and wisest,” Bates mumbles, already closing his eyes. There’s a lot going on in his head, but he decides it all has to wait until he’s had his sleep.

 

Gleeson giggles again. “Well, if you say so it must be true.”

 

“G’night, Gee,” Bates manages to mumble before everything just feels too comfy and heavy to move at all.

 

He’s already almost asleep when Gleeson replies, “Good night, B.”

**Author's Note:**

> Oh wait, you thought this was finished now? YOU WERE WRONG. I'll never be done with these two, so there is one more fic in this 'verse that's not exactly a sleepover fic, but that's linked to the canon of the sleepover series. And also, if we all ask her super nicely and make her a chocolate cake, [Jenna](http://ofcourseitsinsidemyhead.tumblr.com/) will write an actual sixth part to this - she pointed out to me that there's an actual canon sleepover happening and that it would be a shame not to fic it.
> 
> So, look out for that! See you soon, lovelies!


End file.
